Descent

Chapter 8

To get to the Capital, one had to traverse through twenty-miles of swamp and marshes. Luckily, the settlers of Le Rêve were kind enough to give Thomas Rush and Mai Takoda Seed a motorboat as repayment for Rush helping them set up their settlement. They were also probably eager to see Mai leave which slightly irked Thomas. Had he not known her so intimately, he too would have been intimidated by the sight of her. She had a ferocity that radiated off her. Not to mention that she had bulked up tremendously from the time he last say her. She could probably lift him with one arm and hurl him into the air with no problem if she willed it so.

He recalled how she had actually fended off whatever monstrosity had taken control of Ethan Seed, the cousin she never knew she had. She had made the ultimate sacrifice during that final confrontation, one that he was guilty of saying he was grateful for. He remembered the way her eyes glowed an inhuman red, easily standing her own ground against the hulking beast; a byproduct of consuming the sacred fruit. He wondered if she had ever tapped into that power again, or if it was a one and done sort of deal. Regardless, she was a force to be reckoned with, and he was simply glad that she had always been on the side of those who sought to do good.

As they traversed through the swamp, he kept glancing over at her. She sat at the nose of the boat, taking in all the sights of the alien fauna. The curious tilt of her head here and there was enough to make his heart swell. Despite the circumstances, he was happy to be here with her. He had promised they'd see each other again, and he meant to keep that promise, just as he had promised Mila so many years ago. Thinking of his daughter immediately shattered any positive emotions he had. He wondered if she'd ever forgive him for leaving.

"Rush?" Mai's voice was uncharacteristically soft and concerned, piercing through him like a sudden jolt.

He focused his sight on her. She stared at him with those two-toned eyes that left him feeling like he was staring into a water-colored painting. His throat tightened as he tried to compose himself.

"Yeah, Cap'. I'm good. Just, thinking of Mila is all." his shoulders shrugged, "Been gone for so long now, I feel like I'm slowly losing the image of her in my head."

Mai adjusted herself so she could face him directly. She sat crisscrossed, her braids flowing softly with the passing wind. She grasped onto one of them, playing with it nervously, her mind seemingly running through all the possible things she could say right now. He imagined she was thinking of her own father, the pain of his absence still so fresh. That was a man devoted to his family. Jacob had scoured the country looking for his missing daughter whereas Rush felt as though he himself had left his daughter behind. No matter how good the cause, he could not help but feel guilty.

"You probably think I'm a horrible father."

"You know that's not what I'm thinking." She replied, seemingly offended, and justly so, "You're making the world safer for Mila. If she's angry now, she'll understand one day."

"You're right." Thomas concedes before smirking, "I hate to admit but you're always right."

"You should know this by now Rush." She mused her face suddenly turning sour, like she had just realized something.

Unable to leave the steering wheel, Rush cocked his head at her, obviously concerned.

"What about you? Something on your mind?"

"Just-" she sighed, "I haven't really been the best sister ...or daughter for that matter these last few months."

She turned her head downward, continuing to play with her braids before finally deciding to undo it completely, allowing her hair to flow freely. The Seed woman ruffled her hair with her hands, making an irritated growling noise before dropping the F bomb quite furiously. He wished there was more that he could do. For now they were acting on their only lead. Hoping to calm her, he made a short whistle noise, drawing her attention. She looked to him as he pointed ahead. Mai's head snapped, immediately standing up.